Sengoku Manor
by miikochan
Summary: AU (IKag, SM) Youkai and Mikos are outcasts among regular humans. Youkai are sent to the manor to be encased in tombs. Mikos conceal their powers and when found are also sent to manor to kill escaped youkai. An unfortunate miko named Kagome happens to
1. Levels

Sengoku Manor  


  
  
PG-13: (for mildly violent scenes yeah right, Inuyasha's mouth and some child abuse cries I didn't mean to abuse you-oops! read for yourself!)  
  
Genres:Action/Adventure, Romance, (maybe some parts) angst, humor, drama, AU  
  
pairings: Inu/Kag, Miro/San  
  
written by: ennovy-chan

Summary:  
In a world of prejudice, mikos and youkai must hide. Youkai are like mutants, born to human families. As are mikos. When found, youkai are sent to be encased in tombs in the Sengoku Manor, a horrid place, to die from suffocation and left to rot. Mikos on the otherhand are used as weapons, sent to the manor to find the Shikon no Tama and to kill any live youkai. The jewel could bring a request true. The normal humans strive to obtain this jewel in hopes to rid the world of youkai. Once every half century and something years, a miko is born. Every half decade a youkai is born. To keep themselves from going to the Sengoku Manor, mikos conceal their powers. Mikos are highly regarded, but treated brutally. But one day, an unfortunate miko named Kagome is discovered and sent to the manor for saving a young kitsune youkai named Shippou. What-or better yet-Who will they meet at the manor? (duh! Inu-smackowie!)  


  
  
A/N: Hi, ennovy-chan here! This is my first Inuyasha fic so I hope you have patience for me if I screw up something like names. So please correct me if I get something wrong. Right now I'm trying to find an Inuyasha site with good detail on what's happening. I happened to get this idea when I was thinking of ICO. The setting will be the same, but the storyline won't. Thanky! Oh and I'm going to make up some of Kagome's miko powers. Like "let the force be with-" smack Ouch! Okay okay! But you'll see what I mean. And youkai are found at early ages and sent to the manor immediately.  
  
Disclaimer: Sorry I don't live in Japan so that explains why I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha and I wonder...is she Kazuki Takahashi's (YGO's creator) wife? Oh and I don't own ICO either! Don't even know who it belongs to.  
  
Sengoku Manor  
  
  
Chapter 1- Levers  
  
  
"Hurry up wench! Get outta that cell!" The guard growled at the shivering girl. Kagome looked up from her huddled form on the cold gray floor of her cell. Her face was smudged and blackish-blue from fresh bruises. She shivered and hugged young kitsune youkai, Shippou, she'd rescued earlier. The little cub snuggled deeper into her rags. She whispered, "I'm coming."  
  
"What was that?" the guard scoffed, "I can't seem to hear you."  
  
Kagome scowled and croaked audibly, "I'm coming!" She stood up shakily, slowly easing herself off the wall. She followed the guard, limping, to her destination. Two soldiers, with black sacks covering their faces, upon tall black geldings waited for her and the young youkai. She stared blankly at the saddles.  
  
"Well? Get on!" the first guard commanded gruffly. Kagome managed, painfully, straining her bruised leg to mount the horse. She felt a sharp pain in the roots of her hair. The guard tossed the yelping girl and now awake youkai onto the horse behind him. The guard dug his heels into the gelding's side, the other two soldiers on cue did the same, and took off into the woods. Kagome remembered when all this had started...just last night's eve...  
  
  
flashback   
  
"Mommy, Daddy! Look! A y-youkai's been found!" A young child stuttered. Kagome looked up from her rice counting to see a growing crowd in the town plaza. What was all the ruckus? She glanced at her snoring boss. Even warning gong wouldn't awake him. So deciding to see what happened she pushed her way through the crowd. The tall bulky men were standing around the front wouldn't let her pass.  
  
A small child was cheering loudly, "Beat'em!"  
  
"What's happening?" She asked the young child. He looked at her incredulously.  
  
"Dint'cha hear? They found a youkai! They said it's big with horns and big eyes!" the kid informed her, motioning with his hands.  
  
Kagome looked up. The big men were still blocking her view. She thanked the child, but he didn't hear. He was too busy cheering on the beating of the youkai.  
  
" 'S'cuse me," she said to the men, "but I can't see what's happening. Could you possibly make room?" she asked sweetly.  
  
" 'Course Missy. You're about ta see the bes' part!" one man crowed excitedly. He budged over to make room for Kagome, " 'njoy!"  
  
As soon as she set eyes on the youkai she was in shock. It was a young kitsune cub youkai, no older than the child she'd just spoken to. Two big guards were holding him up for the people to see.  
  
"Lemme go, ya big bully!" the youkai cried. He chomped on the guard's thumb. The guard slapped him.  
  
Kagome woke up from her shock. What were these people doing? It was a kid! So what if he was a youkai! An innocent child didn't deserve this! What if it was their child who was being beat in front of all the villagers? Would they care? She winced as she heard a loud slap against the child's cheek. What cruel people!  
  
She watched as villagers flung rotten onions and other produce at the youkai child. She had to stop this! But how? She couldn't do anything except with her powers! Her miko powers. And if she were to be discovered, she'd-!  
  
The villagers started to toss pumpkins. They smacked loudly against the child. Now back to if she was discovered she'd be sent to the Sengoku Manor. There were rumors that the manor was tremendously large. Like a labyrinth, anyone could get lost in there and die from the loneliness and misery of no hope to ever find the exit. Youkai were sent there and for what? To be encased in tombs without air! What did the youkai ever do to them? The head villager, Naraku, would say, "It's simply because they exist." He like all his head villagers before him, sent mikos, like herself, one born to the village once every fifty years, to face the dangers of the manor. The man was cruel-insane! Was she the only one who noticed this, besides her and Sango (her friend who lived in a village a few miles into the forest)?  
  
The guards holding the youkai tossed him roughly at the ground and kicked him. This had to stop-now! Before she knew it, Kagome shouted hoarsely, "Stop it! He's only a child!" That earned her the attention of all the villagers who had dangerous glares. Boos were heard from the crowd, one woman screeched, "Pah! It's a youkai!" The people reverted their attention back to beating the youkai. That hadn't worked. Maybe if she concentrated, she could make her powers unnoticeable. Yes, that would work! Although she hadn't had that much practice, she could surely stop this. She was confident  
  
She focused on two rotten onions in a basket. 'Clear the storm of your mind,' Kagome thought remembering the words of the wise old woman Kaede whose sister was a miko fifty years before she was born. The clouds in her mind were gone and two large splats were heard. Then a gasp. It was silent.   
  
"It was her! That wench over there! Arrest her!" she froze what had gone wrong? For starters a silvery fog was leading from her to the basket of onions and then to the guards. 'No!'  
  
  
end flashback  
  
  
The entire ride was silent. Even the woods were deadly silent. Shippou looked up at Kagome questionably. She looked down at him reassuringly. The mist lifted to let an eerie form of the gigantic manor appear. The small group was in front of a long wide draw-bridge to the entrance of the manor.  
  
The guard shoved her off the gelding, "Move it." He pushed her towards the draw-bridge and said to his comrades, "C'mon, Naraku has ordered it that we see her off in the manor and to encase the youkai." The two other soldiers jumped off awkwardly. Something was strange with those two. Shippou looked up at Kagome, "What's gonna happen to me?" Kagome choked, the poor child was going to die before he ever lived his life. She hugged him. They came upon the towering doors of the manor. It had to be tall enough for a 35 foot giant to walk through it!  
  
The guard gave Kagome the spear, "Hit this tile here." He pointed to a worn down emblem tile. Kagome prodded the tile and the humongus door creaked open. When they entered Kagome and Shippou gasped, "It-it's so big in here!" white polished slate staircase (and don't forget the iron spike railing) led up to the next level and to the next and so on. A worn out pale red carpet was spread on the stone floor.  
  
"ARGH!! What the hell?!" Kagome and Shippou turned around in surprise to see the two other soldiers slam the guard violently at a spike. The spike stuck through him! He continued to scream until his head hung limply with the rest of his body. Blood seeped through a crack of his mouth. He was dead. Kagome gasped and covered the young youkai's eyes, he asked, "What's happening?"  
  
Kagome turned to the two soldiers, "What-who are you?"  
  
One soldier giggled, and she could never forget whose laugh that was, "Sango!" Sango yanked off the black sack off her head, "Took you long enough, Kagome! Who'd you think it was? A youkai?"   
  
Kagome sighed, "What are you doing here? And who's he?" She pointed to the other soldier.  
  
Before Sango could answer, he yanked his black sack off his head, it was a young man with a short ponytail, "I am but a traveling monk who worships Buddha. You may call me Miroku."  
  
Kagome heard Sango coughing and wheezing something like, "Cough-monk-cough-of-cough-hentais-cough!"  
  
"So why are you guys here?" Kagome asked uncovering Shippou's eyes.  
  
Sango's eyes turned serious, "Well Houshi and I were coming back to visit you when we came across you and a couple soldiers."  
  
Kagome asked, "And when was that?"  
  
The monk answered this time, "When you stopped to take a break we replaced the soldiers."  
  
Kagome made an unlady-like snort, "I could tell something was strange."  
  
Sango asked, "They found out you were miko?"  
  
Kagome nodded sullenly, "No duh. They were beating Shippou here and I had to stop them! You know what happens to youkai here!" Shippou looked up at her curiously.  
  
Sango nodded, "Yes I know. We're sorry we couldn't free you before we arrived here."  
  
Miroku said, "Yes and we mustn't remain here. I feel bad vibes..."  
  
"Yeah this place freaks me out. Let's get out of here. I don't want Shippou to know what will happen if he stays here," Kagome said walking towards the door.   
  
"What does happen here?" Shippou asked. The older people shook their heads, "You don't want to know."  
  
"Hsshph!" Slam! The group looked around to see what the noise was, Shippou asked nervously, "What...was that?"  
  
Miroku observed, "It sounds like...pillars slamming together. And...something screaming and-"   
  
Sango grabbed his arm, "Shut-up Houshi! Look!   
  
The carpet shoved over and a secret staircase to the dark dank basement was revealed.  
  
Shippou shrieked, "Holy cheese on rye! Let's get outta here!" He hopped onto Miroku's shoulder.  
  
Kagome peered into the hole, Sango pulled her back, "What're you doing?"  
  
Kagome replied, "Looking down there. Is it a crime to be curious?" Sango nodded, "In this case, it is. Come on, let's leave."  
  
"Okay..." she looked down at the hole and heard a shrill scream that sounded more like metal grinding, "Wait! Someone might need our help!"  
  
Sango rolled her eyes, "Now Kagome! Be reasonable! Who would be down there?"  
  
Kagome protested, "Someone who needs our help?"  
  
"Kagome! For all we know some blood thirsty escaped youkai maybe down there!"  
  
"What? Here I'll prove to you someone down there might need our help!" Kagome stepped down on the staircase, "Is someone down there?"   
  
"Kagome, this doesn't feel right," Miroku called down the stairs with Sango.   
  
"Please come back up here!" Sango pleaded.  
  
Kagome started back up the stairs, careful not to trip, "Yeah, I'm coming! No one seems to be down here. Must've just been the passage opening up."  
  
She felt a breeze rush past her, it suddenly felt ten degrees colder than it was a moment ago. But what was that cold breeze? Hair on the back of her neck rose and she felt a hot breath blowing against the back of her neck, "W-who's there?" she stammered. The hot breath stopped. She guessed it was just some weird feeling that came over her.  
  
Shippou shouted from the top of the stairs, "Who ya talking to?"   
  
Kagome blinked, "No one, I guess."  
  
"You're wrong, bitch." a voice hissed.  
  
A dim fire lit. Kagome was in a room with five doors in different directions. She looked behind her. A person-scratch that-youkai with long silver hair with two dog-like ears on top. Choppy silver bangs framed golden eyes and two fangs which overlapped his lips. He smirked widely and raised his talons, "This is where you die, Kikyou."  
  
"G-guys, we have a problem," Kagome choked out scrambling up the stairs. She panted.  
  
Sango folded her arms, "What kind of-Agh!" the dog-like youkai leapt up after Kagome, pulling her back down. The passage started to close again.  
  
"Kagome!"   
  
"Ouch..." Kagome landed at the bottom of the stairs on her head. She massaged her face and the abnormally sized lump on her head.   
  
"I didn't know you were so clumsy, Kikyou." She felt the hot breath on her neck and shuddered. She turned to look at who it was, but it was pitch-black! The passage door to the main floor had shut!  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kagome replied trying to feel the walls and to get away from the youkai.  
  
"Stop playing dumb, Kikyou. You trapped me here to die. Big mistake to come back to mock me," the youkai hissed, "But now you will pay."   
  
Kagome turned around to see its piercing golden eyes burning through the dark. It was coming closer. Knuckles cracked and heavy rasping was heard. She felt an opening and mad-dashed blindly with her hands in front of her into the narrow corridor. Behind her the youkai bouncing off the walls after her.  
  
He swooped in for an attack. What she didn't notice there was a rock in front of her when she tripped, the youkai missing her a good four inches. He swerved around, for he could see her easily with his youkai eyes. He raised his claws and swiped, but only grazed her hair because she rolled over. Was this girl having luck or what?   
  
Kagome clambered back up and again dashed, barely missing a wall. She could see the outline of the passage splitting in two. Which one left or right? She chose the right. Maybe she could lose the youkai this way.  
  
The youkai watched as she ran to right. She was heading to the tomb room. That was too bad. And he wanted to kill her. Too bad. The youkai in there would do that before he could as soon as she entered the room. But he wasn't going to let the other youkai take his revenge. He dashed in after her.  
  
Kagome was welcomed by a blinding light. Shielding her eyes, she scanned the room. It, like the entrance floor, was humongus, except five levels down. And along those walls were tombs about twenty or thirty per floor. Within those tombs were dead youkai who were sent there over the years. Creepy... Where was that youkai that was chasing her? Did he give up? She turned around. The youkai was no longer there. And how did he survive? He did say something about Kaede's sister, Kikyou. But she died fifty years before she was born! And that youkai looked allot younger than fifty-roughly around her age, she supposed. Never mind that! He wasn't chasing her anymore and this room was creeping her out. Now...to find the exit.  
  
The silver-haired youkai watched as the girl walked over to where she had come from. The other youkai hadn't killed her. Looks like he was going to get that revenge he wanted. He snickered in his mind. He glowered anxiously at her, unbeknownst to her, from the shadows in the narrow maze he'd just chased her in. He arched his talons once again, preparing for the kill.  
  
A grinding screech echoed throughout the manor. Kagome searched its source behind her. She screamed.  
  
  
end   
  
A/N: I hope that it didn't suck that bad. sulks And if someone wrote something like this, tell me and I'll take this thing off. I'm like so bad at grammar! sniff Oh well, please review. You'll make one more happy authoress in the world!  
  
ennovy-chan signing out! 


	2. Switches and chow time?

Thanks reviewers! I didn't think anyone would read it...  
  
**kagomeinuyashafan:** ::blushes:: Thankie! Your email made me really happy!  
  
**MoonLightWolf**: Here it is! And I can't wait for your IY fic's next chapter!  
  
**GoddessOfImaginaryLightKokuei:** Thanks! Can't wait til you update your stories  
  
**roses in bloom:** I agree. ::grabs a machine gun:: Let's go have us some spider's guts! O.0;  
  
**Kikyo224**: I'm glad you like it!

**foggeh: **::blushes:: I'm flattered that you think my writing is that great. Oh yes, the cliffies of doom. Let's just say, sadly, it's not the last of them. I try to update as soon as I can!  
  
**A/N**: In less than two weeks school will be over and I'll be able to update all my stories and upload (if you think I should) my newest Inuyasha fics.  
  
I don't know what the title is going to be but here's it's summary:  
  
_Young Kagome, Sango, and Miroku were friends until Kagome and her father moved to the U.S because of a divorce. Now a few years later Kagome moves back to Japan to live with her Grandfather, Mother, and Souta. She meets up with her childhood friends, but it seems they're hiding something...What could it be?  
_

And here's the other one:

**Juvie Court**

_What if Kagome was thrown into juvinille court for an accident she didn't cause? She's sentenced there for three months with psychos with knives made out of toothbrushes! To survive in this kiddie jail, you have to be part of a gang. If not the bigger, badder cellmates will deal with you. Kagome manages to string up the loners into a gang of her own._

(A/N: No this authoress hasn't ever been in juvinille court. But her crazy cousin who threw rocks at cars passing by did. He's also been in a mental instution. ::shakes her head:: Yes some of those people make knives out of toothbrushes and try to stab other people. So I'm getting the info from him and what I know.

So what do you think?

**Disclaimer: **If I dropped an egg off a two-story building, would it stay intact? Nope! The yolk and white would fling over everywhere! And do I own Inuyasha? Same as the eggy question, Nope! 

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**Sengoku Manor**  
Chapter 2-Meeting  
by: _ennovy-chan_

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"Kagome!" Sango cried falling to knees. Shippou huddled into an auburn ball of fur. Her best friend was gone! She was good as gone with a live youkai on her tail. But how could it still be alive? Surely the last miko, perhaps the greatest of all eras, Kikyou would've killed all of the youkai which had escaped. And now one youkai had survived the horrors of suffacation and limited space. And the underground labryinth that spread a good estamated fifty miles around the outside of the manor. Who knew how big the winding passages were? If Kagome survived the youkai then she would be lost in the confusing maze. One thing after another...

Miroku knelt down beside Sango and placed a reassuring arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing her back in circular motions, "Sango, I'm sure Lady Kagome could defend herself from whatever's down there," he said softly, "I don't think she's too far from reach."

Sango blinked a couple clingy tears and wondered if he was trying to pull a fast one, "What do you mean? And how do I know you're not going to grope me? Kagome's a goner...she didn't even know how to fight 'cept with her mouth..."

The monk shook his head and used his free hand to tip her chin and face her towards him, continuing the reassuring rub, "My, my, Miss Sango. Such faith you have in Lady Kagome. She is a miko, don't you forget. And it rather disappoints me how little faith you have in me. I would never so go that low. I promise."

Sango glared up at him, "Go on."

Miroku went on, looking up thoughtfully, "When I was a young aprentice monk, full of innocence-"

Sango snorted and thought, 'and full of shit.' "Get to the point, Houshi."

"Oh yes, I snuck into the library often! I read stories about lands far west from here. One time I noticed this half open scroll. It spoke of this very manor. The legend of how it came to be was blank!"

Shippou looked up from his huddled form and surprised them when he squeaked, "Go on! Time's a wastin'!" Sango and Miroku almost jumped, and the monk nodded.

"Hidden passages are everywhere in this manor. They only open when something is triggered, tapped, pushed...any slight change."

Sango rubbed her chin in a calculating manor, "So you mean...there's switches?" Miroku nodded and helped her feet accidently gripping her butt. She shuddered and steam blasted through her nose and ears. The blood rushed her face framing a pair of equally fiery eyes. How **dare** he make false promises?! He ruined the moment! And she was going to change her opinion of him too.

Miroku blinked innocently and backed away from her, Shippou joining him. Shippou whispered, "I think you just made her blow a gaskett!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sango growled menacingly, her eyes like daggers plunging into the monk's faux-innocent violet eyes.

"I was only helping you up. You are a lady," Miroku said backing away to wall, closer to the dead man they'd only killed earlier.

Sango's eyes narrowed into thin slits, "I'm sure you were, Houshi. And if you don't want to end up like your friend over there," she gestured to the dead man hanging off a spike, "I suggest you stop." She distastefully spat 'Houshi' like it was in the bitter PH zone.

"Guys?" Shippou squeaked, but the two just ignored him. One had a murderous glint ready to strike her offender and the other desperately trying to get away while looking for an escape.

"Really Sango."

"Really Houshi," the pissed off girl mimicked, "You're the one who's going to need help after I'm done with you!"

"Guys?" Still they continued to ignore the small kitsune.

"Onegai Sango. You musn't be so rash!"

"And why not?"

"GUYS!!" the two whirled around to the red-faced youkai baby, "We need to find Kagome!"

"Yes, Shippou is right. Enough of this foolishness," Miroku agreed examining the dead soldier's corspe.

"Don't think you're getting off the hook yet!" Sango said pulling at the iron spikes, any of these could be switches.

Miroku gave her a sheepish grin and also tugged at the spikes and touched the marble tiles.

Shippou sighed, was he the only one not powered by his hormones or anger around here?

Suddenly a high pitched screech echoed through the manor followed by a familiar, "KYAAAA!!!!!" The three looked at the passage, "That was Kagome!"

"Hurry!"

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The silver-haired youkai stopped, damn... the other youkai was there now. He glared, though it was not known, at the huge slender form of the other youkai approached with its young. Maybe he should just sit back and wait a while for the wench to tire and become weak. Then he'd kill her. Yes, that would be the plan. Just wait for a few minutes then it was action time.

"KYAAAA!!!" Kagome stumbled backwards and fell on her rear. She stared fearfully at the monstrosity towering over her along with her three ravenous young. It was a centipede youkai with a woman's skin and bones upper body. The children were smaller versions of herself, smaller, but the size of a tall human. Their skin hung loosely on the human-looking part of their body letting the ribs protrude from their protective layer. Saliva seeped through their mouths, dribbling over their taut chins. Kagome gulped and slowly crab-walked towards the wall behind her.

Weren't these youkai supposed to die? After seeing so many youkai, there must be a colony of youkai living a secret passive life.

The centipede youkai slithered closer her, only a few feet away from her. Kagome scanned the room for some kind of weapon. Ah ha! She spotted a bow and quiver of arrows conviently leaned against a youkai skull across the room. Now, how to reach it? She peered up at the centipede woman who was telling her young to let the prey suffer from shock before pouncing.

She lunged forward, carefully dodging the flabbergastered centipedes, walked around the hole in the middle of the room carefully while clinging to the wall. The room gave barely enough room to run, let alone walk with all the tombs lined up against the walls. Her knees and back ached from that vicious fall from earlier. But she ignored it. The youkai mother roared at her and placed its massive insectoid body between her and that bow. Kagome's body twisted around to break in a run, but the centipede was quicker.

It wrapped its many legs around her body, coiling around her. Kagome felt new bruises form on her poor abused body. One of the young chirped (sounded more like a strangled hiss), _"May I hold it?"_

The mother youkai looked up for a moment and nodded, "_You may, but don't mangle it too much so there's no dinner left. Otherwise, you know what happens."_ She thrusted an overly bruised Kagome at the child. It caught her, knocking the air out of her lungs on empact. The youkai's ribs jabbed and poked at her bruised back.

"_I wanna hold it!" _another young youkai whined. What was she? A play thing? From the looks of it, these youkai hadn't eaten a bite in days, or longer. Kagome wheezed, too weak and injured to thrash the excited, drooling youkai holding (choking) her.

"_Now children, hand the food to me. I will split it in even portions,_" the youkai mother commanded snatching a poor, diesvieled, Kagome. Kagome glared at the youkai mother, very much horrified enough. Horrified...? More like traumitized for the rest of her short life unless some strange miko power kicked in.

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To be continued.

Sorry to cut it off there, but I'm tired, practically dead on my feet. Just got home from a social and I'm tired as hell. Enough about my problems! Will Kagome be centipede chow? coughofcoursenotcough! Will Sango, Miroku, and Shippou find the switch? And if you haven't figured out by now who the "silver-haired youkai" is, you should have your brain checked. Sorry if I'm being snappy, but I'm tired. And don't forget to review and tell me what you think about my future fics in the works!

Ja minna!


	3. Friend or Foe?

Look at all these lovely reviews! Thank you for the encouragement!

**Lindsaymagical**-See I updated! This chapter's dedicated to you for being persistant to make me update!

**Kokuei-**Bummer...I remember when that happened to me. A whole week without the computer! ::shudders at the memory::

**animemistress419**-Thanks for reviewing!

**CrystallineX**-Yeah see, I don't really like copying other peoples' ideas. If I do use the idea, I try to make it different.

**darkscorpio28**- Action's my middle name! ::sweatdrops::

**MoonLightWolf**-Same here. Please update your-I think it's called Another Day Devout? No pressure though.

**A/N:** I changed my penname again. ennovychan is now miikochan.

**Disclaimer:** Do I sing the Peptobismal (sp) song in the mall? Do dogs piss on cows? No!! Therefore I don't own Inuyasha! (well actually...singing the peptobismal song...)

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**Sengoku Manor**

Chapter 3-Friend or Foe?

_miikochan_

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'_It's all over now...' _Kagome thought miserably, _'But I musn't think that! There is always a way out of things, even fate...As Kaede said. But there is no bright side now...'_ She was dropped on the ground harshly. Gasping for air, she waited for her body parts to be severed.

"Is it done yet?" the centipede children asked anxiously licking their chops.

"You must wait longer for doubt and hopelessness to glaze it." the mother centipede responded waiting and watching Kagome.

_ 'I wish...I don't wanna die...not now...'_ a tear slid down her cheek, softly plopping on the the stone floor.

As if granting her wish, the bow she had tried to reach earlier stood erect and an arrow glided shakily from a dead carcass to aid its partner. After sliding into the slot, the silver glowing arrow was released, at screaming speed, plunged itself into one of the centipede children.

"EYAA!!!" the child screamed, causing its siblings and mother to gaze in wonder at it. Kagome's head shot up to stare at it too. She noticed that the arrow was eating away at the child's skin, like an acid. A putrid rotten smell filled the air as the child melted into a puddle and ate away the floor beneath it.

"Tony!!" (I think that's a suitable name for a centipede ::snickers::) the mother centipede and her children cried.

The angry mother turned on Kagome. "You...did this is...did you not?"

Kagome was unsure what to say, fearful of what kind of injuries the pissed off 'big mama' would inflict upon her before delivering her to death. "...". She didn't know herself. Sure as hell her powers weren't strong enough to melt a youkai into a sorrowful puddle of acid. She wondered who could've done it. But it didn't matter now. One less youkai to be mauled by, she grimaced.

The centipede grabbed her mud-caked collar. "Answer me!!" Kagome was being dangled about seven feet off the ground.

Her throat felt crushed and bruised, it hurt when she answered, "I didn't..."

"It 'twas you, foolish miko. Only humans of your kind could have done damage such as this. And I-Keo!!!" A lightning flash of red and silver shot past and another child was violently slaughtered before her eyes. It disappeared in the dark. Her other children were trembling violently beside her, she shook the girl in her grasp rather violently. "You did it again!!"

A cocky voice rang through the room. "No, ya got that wrong, bitch of the centipedes. The wench didn't do it now or before. But I can give you a hint on who killed yer second kid. The strongest around this hellhole-me!"

Kagome blinked, someone came to rescue her after all! It couldn't have been Sango or Miroku. Or even little Shippou. Whoever it was, they were incredibly blockheaded and awfully full of themselves.

The centipede hissed. "Where are you, half-filth?!" the angry mother's youkai part protectively created a wall around her remaining children. Stumbling away from the hard shell of the centipede's coil, Kagome slinked to the nearest to her, but not unoticed.

"We are not finished yet miko!" the mother stretched her long body to slap the poor caught in-the-middle girl. She was knocked into a couple unstable old tombs. Luck was with her that the stone's covering the tomb didn't fall on top of her.

The cocky voice came again. "Have you forgotten me so soon, Mistress?"

"I shall deal with you after this girl hath perished!" the centipede snapped angrily as she turned to Kagome. "Forget about supper...I shall kill the miko who murdered many of our kin!"

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut.

She was about to strike the cornered miko when a pain shot up her humanoid parts from her lower body. But only...she couldn't feel her insect legs!

Kagome opened her eyes, the centipede youkai's tallow hand was only a mere inch away from her face. She peered up at the centipede's face to see that it was facing its insect parts. All hundred parts of them. Kagome quickly remembered her postion, ducked and rolled to a safer part so she was out of range. Shattered splinters of the remaining children and the centipede's legs. Fluids pooled around the area creating a red shallow lake and having the waterfall effect over the large hole in the floor. And at the center of the bleeding lake was none other than the silver haired youkai who followed her through the maze. He didn't look that different from a boy around her age. Was he the one who shot the arrow?

"My...my...beautiful body...it's...gone..." the centipede's only living part rumbled with rage. "YOU SHALL DIE, HANYOU!!" the half living part of the centipede started splashing around in the shallow blood lake with its remaining arms towards the silver haired creature.

_'Oh my God... I've seen too much death as it is! Poor dog youkai never had a chance! I have to escape right now!'_ she mentally cursed her curiousty and love to help needy people. It was after all those two things that got her in this prediciment in the first place.

"Feh!" This caught Kagome's attention, as the silver haired youkai swiftly slashed through the tallow flesh of the centipede youkai. He tutted, wiping his bloody hands off on a red clad pant leg, "Pathetic, to say the very least."

Kagome stared at the youkai before muttering a small, "Ego-maniac." His ears flicked in her direction. "Kikyou...you disappoint me! Getting battered around by a filthy youkai such as that! How shameful you are to your reputation."

She was unsure what to say. "You...saved me..."

The youkai rolled his eyes before approaching her steadily. "I didn't save you to save your life." He cracked his knuckles. "I saved you to kill you."

Kagome backed up in between the two tombstones, though he didn't look any different than a boy, she was very well idealized that he could kill her. "You mean you're really going to kill me?"

The boy cracked his other knuckle. "Does it look like I'm joking?"

Inching further into the space until her back touched the stone, Kagome had an idea. Maybe she could distract him from killing her. She suddenly blurted. "I think I told you before, I am **not** Kikyou! Have you not suspected that it's been more than a century that she died? Us humans, including mikos, can't live as long as you can." she gritted through her teeth angrily.

"It's been more than fifty years? She's dead?" the boy thought slowly, coming to a halt.

"Yes...Since I'm not her, don't kill me." Kagome said, quietly sliding away from the pondering boy. Couldn't he tell time? Maybe not because there wasn't any windows for the sun's light to shine in.

"Baka! How many youkai have you killed? We are enemies, you and I! Mikos and youkai aren't meant to ally the other side!" the youkai growled clenching his fists.

"You're not a youkai." Kagome repeated what she heard from the centipede mother earlier.

"Keep your damn piehole shut! Or I'll rip it off!" he threatened slashing through the air with his claws.

"You're a hanyou. That means you're half human. You must have some pity for a fellow human, though I am a miko." Kagome said calmly, it was hard to keep her temper in check while arguing 'civily' with the hanyou. "Besides," she added, "I haven't killed anyone since I arrived here." Save for her friends killing a human soldier.

"It doesn't matter," he said arching his knees into a battle stance. "I'm bringing you down, no matter how innocent you are!!" The silver haired hanyou leapt at her, swiping at her as she clumsily stumbled and missed most of his attacks. His claws ripped one of her ragged yukata's sleeves only leaving five small cuts in her forearm. Thank God she was so clumsy or she would've lost an unreplacible body part.

Rolling onto her knees, Kagome zigzagged through the bloody puddle to escape the room. Maybe if she ran back in the mase she could find the trapdoor she fell through.

Right on her heels and about to strike, the hanyou boy called, "You're not getting away bitch!!"

Looking back, the miko tripped and skidded through the slippery puddle, slidding into the remains of the centipede and her children.

The hanyou grabbed her by the throat, lifting her from the ground. "Not getting away now, are you?"

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Meanwhile...

"Houshi-sama! Have you found the switch yet?" Sango asked Miroku. He shook his head. "It appears you haven't it either. Shippou? Have you found it yet?"

"No..." Shippou answered rubbing his forehead.

The monk tugged on another spike. "Do you remember anything that could've triggered the trapdoor? Think. When we first got here..."

Sango tapped her chin and made her way to the dead soldier. "...We killed this guy..." She pulled the deadweight off the spike and tossed it aside. "Ah ha!"

The trapdoor slided open. "Yay, Sango! Let's go find her now!"

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"Let-go-of-me" The miko rasped between struggling breathes. Her body, neck down hung limply. Inuyasha smirked with a mad glint in his eyes. "What do you prefer? The slow or fast way?"

She glared at him with all she could muster. Bringing her knee back with what strength in her lower body had left, she crashed it into where any kind of male of every species hates to be kneed.

Stumbling backwards, Inuyasha still kept a strong, but weakening hold on her throat. "You...dirty little bitch!!"

They were headed towards the hole in the floor. His grip loosened enough for Kagome to open her eyes and scream, "Watch out!!"

"Huh?" Before he knew it, Inuyasha and the miko were falling.

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TBC...

That's all for now. Gomen ne for delaying the update. My mom has been busy on this computer because hers doesn't work right now. Anyways thanks for being patient. I'm going to update Miyajima and Project: Perfection soon, so hang on.

**BoD**(Bit of the Day): I've decided to make a little note after every chapter on Japanese language. I find it much easier if the author includes some Japanese dialouge in the fic.

Nanda-yo-"What do you want?" A guy would say this.

Nani-yo-"What do you want?" A girl would say this.

End BoD!

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Please review! I need reviews to continue!


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